Go ahead with CVC appointment: SC to govt

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, May 13

The Supreme Court today gave its nod to the appointment of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and two Vigilance Commissioners following an assurance by the Centre that it had received about 135 applications by following a transparent procedure to attract talent from all fields.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu approved the procedure after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the government had advertised the vacancies across the country and a three-member official panel headed by the Cabinet Secretary had gone through the applications and verified the aspirants’ credentials.

Earlier, the apex court had restrained the government from appointing the CVC and commissioners without taking its approval in the light of a PIL that had questioned the non-transparent procedure and keeping the zone of consideration to a select category of officials.

Rohatgi said that since the government had broad-based the talent pool and given wide publicity to the vacancies it should be allowed to place the applications before the three-member selection panel of the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Leader of Opposition/single largest party in the Lok Sabha.

The petitioner had pleaded that the CVC and VCs should be appointed by following the elaborate drill meant for the selection of the Lokpal.